Seven Days to Live

Tools

In 1956 my dad, who worked in a department store, took 50 cents of his lunch money to the record store each week, applying it to the tab on his layaway treasure: a five-LP boxed set titled Glenn Miller, Army Air Force Band. It contained such wartime classics as "Peggy the Pin-up Girl" and provided the retro soundtrack to my growing-up years. So for nostalgia's sake I'm hoping to score tickets to one of today's Pikes Peak Center (190 S. Cascade Ave., pikespeakcenter.com) performances of In the Mood, a "tribute to Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and all the big band greats of the '40s." Shows are at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and ticket prices start at $25. — Mary Jo Meade

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16 Thursday

brews and bones

Ignore Homer Simpson — beer will not make you stupid. Check out Fossil Brewing Co. (2845 Ore Mill Road, #1, fossilbrewing.com) at 7, and you will leave a little smarter, if also more tipsy. Tonight's Talk Nerdy to Me guest Anthony Maltese, curator of the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, explains how to locate and prepare fossils. Better yet, Fossil is releasing the second generation of its Evolution Ale, an amber that features vanilla in its current iteration. And if you're hungry, Treehouse BBQ will be on-site at 5. Eat meat, drink beer, and learn about dinosaurs; what's not to love? — Griffin Swartzell

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17 Friday

dance

It takes a certain type to wear a white catsuit to your wedding reception, and Natalie Nunn is that type. The former Bad Girls Club hellraiser did a stint on Bridezillas in 2012, and thanks to that onesie was able to break up a fight at the reception. Nowadays, when not partying in the Dominican Republic with her husband, Nunn does hosting gigs stateside, and tonight she'll emcee The Biggest Step Show in Colorado. See event co-host, the LIFE Step Team, dance at 7 at City Auditorium (221 E. Kiowa St., facebook.com/LIFEstepteam). Tickets are $10 to $13, with discounts for young students with ID or the donation of a nonperishable food item. A $20 VIP pass gets you a meet-and-greet with Natalie, if you're brave enough. — Edie Adelstein

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18 Saturday

special event

Earth Day technically falls on Wednesday the 22nd, but who wants to celebrate in the middle of the work week, when today you can hit up Garden of the Gods and Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site (3105 Gateway Road) for a day of free activities (including Ranch admission)? At the Ranch, enjoy the Blacksmith Shop and historic homes, then skip over to the Visitor & Nature Center (1805 N. 30th St.) for live animal shows — from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Nature's Educators, the Air Force Academy Falconers and Touch the Earth — American Indian dancers, touch tables and crafts for kids, a chemical magic show, and of course, hikes in the park itself. There's a free shuttle to help you get around, and it all happens between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Get details at tinyurl.com/mm8pabw. — Edie Adelstein

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19 Sunday

drinks

Nine local drink houses means nine drink samples for you, plus some snacks. That's why you'd want to pay $30 ($15 for non-drinkers) to check out the inaugural Colorado Springs Team Cocktail Competition at 3:30 today at Ivywild School (1604 S. Cascade Ave., tinyurl.com/qezqpfq). Out of a field including Shuga's, The Famous, Nosh, Urban Steam, Wobbly Olive, 503W, Blue Star, Odyssey Gastropub and the Principal's Office, three will advance to compete in an Iron Chef-style battle before your booze-goggled eyes. It's all co-judged by Simon Ford, co-founder of New York's The 86 Co. spirit company. — Matthew Schniper

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20 Monday

lecture

According to The Washington Post, so much Arctic ice has melted in the last four years — hitting new record lows for both winter highs and summer lows — that "an extreme yacht race" is planned for 2017. "Normally we should not be able to do that," said race CEO Robert Molnar, "but we can." Few know this better than photographer James Balog. Watch his 2012 documentary Chasing Ice at 3:30 today at Colorado College's Cornerstone Arts Center (825 N. Cascade Ave., coloradocollege.edu). Then hear the man himself at 6 in Armstrong Hall (14 E. Cache la Poudre St.) as he presents "The Art of Chasing Ice." Both events are free. If that's not enough, you can catch Balog's photos at ICE: Portraits of Vanishing Glaciers at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (30 W. Dale St., csfineartscenter.org) until July 5. — Bryce Crawford

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21 Tuesday

music

Mountain Sprout is all about Americana, but references from fans are pretty incendiary. "Can't wait till I see ya set the chicken shack on fire tomorrow night!" one writes on the band's website. Facebook mentions "face melting musicianship" and one member as "exploding the fiddle while bursting into flames." Catch the group at 8 tonight when it plays an all-ages gig at the Black Sheep (2106 E. Platte Ave., blacksheeprocks.com) with Woodshed Red and the Tejon Street Corner Thieves. Tickets are $10 in advance, or $12 at the door. Spontaneous combustion is optional. — Jess Agius